SB 373 — AN ACT CONCERNING PARKS INCLUDED IN THE PASSPORT TO THE PARKS PROGRAM.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

373573 February Session, 2024 LCOSenate Bill No.

1823373 ReferredSenate, toApril 22, 2024 The Committee on APPROPRIATIONSAppropriations Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(APP)OSTEN ANof ACTthe CONCERNING19th PARKSDist., INCLUDEDChairperson INof THEthe PASSPORTCommittee TOon THEthe PARKSpart PROGRAM.of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING PARKS INCLUDED IN THE PASSPORT TO THE PARKS PROGRAM.

Such account shall contain all moneysSB373 required/ byFile lawNo. to be deposited in such account.

Such573 account LCO 1823 1 ofSB373 2File Bill No.

373573 maymoneys receiverequired fundsby fromlaw privateto orbe publicdeposited sources,in including,such butaccount. not limited to, any municipal government or the federal government.

Such account may receive funds from private or public sources, including, but not limited to, any municipal government or the federal government.

Section 1 July 1, 2024 Section 1 23-15h APP Joint Favorable LCOSB373 1823/ 2File ofNo. 2

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573 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Department of Energy and Passport to Parks At least At least Environmental Protection - Cost 474,500 724,500 Municipal Impact:

Municipalities Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Farmington;

Groton;

Hartford;

Potential Less than Less than New Britain;

New London Savings 20,000 each 20,000 each Explanation The bill results in an annual cost to the Passport to Parks account, beginning in FY 25, to pay for the care, operation, and maintenance of BattersonPark andThames River Heritage Park (TRHP).

The cost to the account is expected to be at least $474,500 in FY 25 and at least $724,500 in FY 26 (and annually thereafter).

Costs may vary depending on the scale of Batterson Park operations and which costs are covered for TRHP, as described below.

The bill may also result in savings to the municipalities involved with these parks.

Batterson Park The cost associated with Batterson Park's operation is anticipated to be at least $250,000 in FY 25 and at least $500,000 in FY 26 (and annually thereafter).

The park is owned by Hartford while located in Farmington SB373 / File No.

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573 and New Britain.

1 The magnitude of the cost depends on the extent of operations and maintenance performed at the park.

The annual cost to operate Batterson Park is estimated to be at least $500,000 but costs may be higher, depending on park activities, use, staffing levels, and decisions made by Hartford as the property owner.

It is assumed that costs in FY will be approximately half of the annual costs as park operations will rampupover time.

Thisestimate assumesa relatively passive-use park, similar to the state park model described in the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's (DEEP's) January 2024 report on Batterson Park.

2 Staffing including fringe benefits may cost an estimated $350,000 per year for approximately four permanent staff (a supervisor, two maintainers, and an Environmental Conservation officer) and two seasonal staff, assuming these are not state employees except the officer.

Utilities and routine dam maintenance add approximately $150,000 annually.

If Hartford decides to resolve property encroachment issues, then an additional $800,000 per year in staffing and other costs may be required, according to DEEP's report.

These cost estimates do not include capital improvements that would be needed to reopen the park (approximately $6.4 million to $9.6 million depending on desired amenities), or major repairs to or replacement of the dam (an estimated $600,000 annually for ten years).

There is approximately $9 million remaining of a $10 million carryforward General Fund allocation to Hartford for Batterson Park, which could be used for some of this work.

The park has been minimally used over the last several years, with annual expenses of approximately $26,000 by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection associated with the state-owned boat launch, and $15,000 by the town of Farmington.

2Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Batterson Park Study.